Fake, clone, not genuine, Galaxy S4 phonesTips

Barely 3 months after the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and there was already a growing number of fake versions starting to flood the market.

Some of these fake phones are, outwardly, very good copies indeed and would easily pass casual inspection. Most are being sold on sites such as eBay, Craigslist and some lesser known sites, where the buyer has to rely on photos and descriptions that are supplied by the seller.

Also, quite openly, these fake phones are being advertised and sold as fakes/clones on sites such as this for only US$318.22, (or less, see post #5)...

I am sure that we will be seeing more of these fake phones as time goes on and will be getting requests from posters as to the authenticity of their phone. This is not an easy task in most cases as there are so many varieties of the legitimate Galaxy S4 phones around, see 23 Galaxy S4 models - know yours?, and as I mentioned, the fakes are very good in some cases. See these videos...

Alternatively, you can download, free from the Play Store, Phone Info. This displays a whole host of information for genuine Samsung phones, including firmware details, Knox warranty and country of origin.

*** For models not included above or to double check the results, I would suggest downloading, free from the Play Store, Android System Info and checking your phone in the System tab > BuildInfos.

Whilst it cannot prevent anyone buying a fake S4 it can at least go some way to determining if a phone is fake or not without having to ask a lot of questions.

Also, if you are purchasing a used phone, you should check out the phone's history to see if it has been lost, stolen or blacklisted for non payment of contract. This can be done by obtaining the phone's IMEI number, enter *#06# into the dial pad, and then using a service such as CheckMEND.

For anyone thinking of buying a phone from the web or, indeed, any untrusted source, the watch words are...

Does the fake work at all or is it just a dummy phone? If it has similar specs to the gs4 it would be pretty interesting. If it is a company that makes it it would be nice business model to have lower price and just remove the Samsung logo!

I have a Verizon S4 purchased at Costco (SCH-1545), but the app says: "I'm afraid your not using a Galaxy SIII." Why?

Click to expand...

It is probably not one of the devices specified for the app,I wouldn't worry too much if you purchased it from a reputable shop, fake ones tend to be more from individuals selling them at a price that seems too good to be true!

And in your original posting too, but hey since when did people start reading your posts?

I just remember reading the s2 root guide so many times and pestering the Mrs saying should I, shouldn't I, before eventually doing it...not once did I ask any questions(was too scared of being shot down ) but I didn't have to cause I read it all!

And in your original posting too, but hey since when did people start reading your posts?

Click to expand...

In my defense, I don't have my model number memorized, so when the post said it worked with the most popular models I assumed that would include the one used by Verizon (but maybe Verizon has more than one model???).

I'm using the Verizon version and when I run the Genuine Galaxy App it reports that I don't have a Genuine Galaxy S3. Of course my phone is the S4. The information seems to match up with the specs of a genuine S4. Does anyone with the Verizon version get it to report as Genuine Galaxy S4?

I'm using the Verizon version and when I run the Genuine Galaxy App it reports that I don't have a Genuine Galaxy S3. Of course my phone is the S4. The information seems to match up with the specs of a genuine S4. Does anyone with the Verizon version get it to report as Genuine Galaxy S4?

Click to expand...

It may not be very helpful but at least it's accurate - you don't have a genuine Galaxy S3 .

I'm using the Verizon version and when I run the Genuine Galaxy App it reports that I don't have a Genuine Galaxy S3. Of course my phone is the S4. The information seems to match up with the specs of a genuine S4. Does anyone with the Verizon version get it to report as Genuine Galaxy S4?

However, all is not lost as there is an app, free, from the Play Store that can be downloaded to determine the authenticity of most of the popular S4 models... GT-I9500&#65292; GT-I9502, GT-I9505, GT-I9508, SCH-I959, SGH-I337, SPH-L720, SHV-E300S, SGH-M919.

It is the Genuine Galaxy S4/S3/Note II that checks the phone's details and hardware configuration and also runs performance tests and compares with other phones in the world.

Click to expand...

For models not included above, I would suggest downloading, free from the Play Store, Android System Info and checking your phone in the System tab > OS.

Interesting. At least in some of the fakes, they are identified as clones (link in the OPs post):

Wholesale Free Shipping 1:1 Clone Samsung Galaxy s4,China Clone S4, has 5 inch HD screen, with 1.6GHz quad-core MT6589T processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, and 13MP rear camera, installed Android 4.2.2 OS.have Motions and Getures functions same as real one,do remember subscribe our youtube chanel to earn free gifts of screen protector for s4!we has been uploading videos of this phone to our youtube chanel.this is the best galaxy s4 clone version,100% everything is same as real s4,please note:we use original s4 box and accessories for this phone,you can use our accessories on real s4,of course you can use original s4 accessories on our clone,becuase they are universal!!!

Interesting. At least in some of the fakes, they are identified as clones (link in the OPs post):

Wholesale Free Shipping 1:1 Clone Samsung Galaxy s4,China Clone S4, has 5 inch HD screen, with 1.6GHz quad-core MT6589T processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, and 13MP rear camera, installed Android 4.2.2 OS.have Motions and Getures functions same as real one,do remember subscribe our youtube chanel to earn free gifts of screen protector for s4!we has been uploading videos of this phone to our youtube chanel.this is the best galaxy s4 clone version,100% everything is same as real s4,please note:we use original s4 box and accessories for this phone,you can use our accessories on real s4,of course you can use original s4 accessories on our clone,becuase they are universal!!!

Click to expand...

They are most definitely one of the exceptions and how many unscrupulous buyers purchase these in bulk to then sell on the web, as the genuine article, at a a huge profit without that description.

Particularly as they state, "note:we use original s4 box and accessories for this phone".

I'm using the Verizon and when I run the Genuine Galaxy App it reports that I don't have a Genuine Galaxy S3.

Click to expand...

To be fair... you don't have a Galaxy S3.

Of course my phone is the S4.

Click to expand...

The problem with that app is that whilst it is fine with the majority of S4 models, it does get a bit hit and miss on the carrier branded, minority, S4 variants. Thankfully, AFAIK, there has never been a carrier branded, minority, fake/clone as the market would be far too restrictive for sales and therefore the clone/fake phones tend to be for the worldwide, International, versions. I have amended post #1 to include a double check with Android System Info.

EDIT I am also looking into another app that shows device details, to see if it is more reliable... Phone Info.... updated post #1 with it.

i have been conned. I bought a so called used Galaxy S4. is there a way i can turn it to a genuine S4. i would be willing to pay

Click to expand...

Hello and welcome to Android Forums paul2004!

Sorry to hear that you have purchased a fake Galaxy S4. I am afraid that there is no way that you can turn this into a genuine version as it will not have the hardware and chipset of a real Samsung Galaxy S4 and therefore you will be unable to flash it with the genuine Samsung firmware.

Thank you for your quick reply.
One last question, if i conect to the internet, would i be able to download playstore.
also would it be a secure phone to use, if i set up an email account

Click to expand...

Without knowing the precise details of the firmware you are running, it is impossible to answer your question as some of the fake phones are running an ersatz version of Android which may preclude interaction with real Android apps and could quite easily not offer the security of a genuine Samsung Galaxy S4.